The Golden Apple

Poppy Parker has an idyllic life until her husband Josh dies in a car accident. Still reeling from his death almost a year later, Poppy resolves to leave her home in Alpharetta, Ga., and go to New York City to spend time with friends and start life anew. While in New York, Poppy reconnects with photographer Austin Bandy—a man who has loved her for years—but must try to heal the wounds of the past and open her heart to the possibility of a new relationship. Marie’s novel about a woman’s profound grief will fail to connect with readers because the author’s heroine rarely struggles, despite the death of her husband. Poppy is financially independent and thus free to pursue her passions with a wonderful man waiting in the wings. And while readers will identify with and understand Poppy’s efforts to reconcile her feelings for Josh and Austin, they won’t become fully engaged with her story because the conflict driving the narrative lacks potency.